I Don't Do Guidance
by ikrose234
Summary: Link should have known better than to think he could get a break. After escaping death for the hundredth time, they can't rest long before being launched into a whole new adventure with some different faces. But Link isn't the only hero, for now he's the . . . guide? With Link mistaken as one of the Light Spirits, can he lead his friends through this journey? No OCs.
1. Preview

Preview

Dark figures crashed through the trees. Screams and howls rebounded off of their trunks and echoed hauntingly in sharp ears. Purple and orange and red flashed in brilliant bursts of lightning in the gloom; locked in a never ceasing battle for dominance. Plant life spontaneously combusted as a lithe, canine form raced past. Not far behind darkness came rolling in sheets after it.

Drifting pixels with veins of neutral blue switched to angry red as if on a switch, converging together in a floating wall. The wolf never broke stride. It twisted its shoulders, pivoted on a paw, and forged on as if it had never changed course.

Behind it a 'hand' lunged for its retreating tail. Its owner crashed into the newly formed wall, shrieking as it caught fire. It's blank face disappeared behind a curtain of black flames. Its body collapsed and exploded into little floating rectangles, fading for crimson to aqua as they drifted like balloons into the sky. Its brethren charged past the disappearing wall after their prey, never noticing its absence nor the collecting particles of a new monster. It burst forth from where the other had fallen, falling beside the fellow beasts as they gave chase to their designated quarry.

The creatures themselves felt nothing, a shell to carry on the mission it was given. It knew nothing but the thoughts that were not its own in its head. They grew agitated as they sensed the master's fury, howling and screaming. Their master grew tired of this game of cat and mouse. The Deserter had gotten to far away for too long, left ignored and not dealt with for far longer. She should have been struck down long ago at the first hints of trouble.

Now they were fumbling to recover as their enemy stayed frustrating just out grip, ever nearing the border that loomed above the natural cliffs even now. Not only that but time dewars drawing short. Her life was dancing down its possible last strand and the master needed her alive. The beast she had had proven more difficult then expected. But now that time played short, and the border hardly over a mile away, where the Deserters would be out of reach of their main forces, panic and rage ran unchecked.

Meanwhile the wolf could infer that the borderlands grew closer like the sun before sunrise. The solidified magic in pixel form where fewer in number, and the twilight sky showed signs of dawn, though the would never be able to pierce the barrier.

It dared a glance over it shoulder to find the orange glow on its back was fading. The healthy color was reduced to the very edges of her hair and the core an ugly, splotchy dark blue. It mixed with light blue at the middle, a slight rim of red and yellow, before the normal orange at the edge. The black patches grew bigger and more frequent, light blue darkening slowly. The fluxes that had always shifted like the aura between bright colors was sluggish and dim. The aquamarine veins on half black, half white skin weren't luminescent like they should have been. They maintained color but nothing else.

If it was possible for it to run faster it did. The lean animal had been on full tilt loping speed since hours ago. It picked up on the situation, responded, and ignored its own body until it was no longer possible.

The Deserters were the chains that bound the two worlds together. Now that one as broken, eroding painfully, the other bore both weights and was beings stretched under the stress. The broken Link must be reforged, made strong again before both chains snapped. Without the light to check the dark or no dark to shadow the light the worlds were unbalanced. While the chains worked together, both fighting as light and dark at the same time, they could not fight alone for long.

Now the dark half of the binding had broke and the light half couldn't find a way to balance properly. It fought but without its friend it was becoming rapidly apparent it was a losing battle that they couldn't afford to fall at. Dark was suffering from overdoses of light, and she was in danger inside her realm of darkness. The only way to help her was to bring her to world of light and work faster than her poison.

It was a pain for the wolf to so entangled in the mess. It reached the looming blockade; knowing it was already too close to the rift to be attack by any monsters. It itself was a creature of light, it had no problem with jumping through the black and yellow wall back to its rightful realm, but it wouldn't be able to enter the realm of darkness again until an creature of that world let it through. If it had any thoughts or emotions on the matter it couldn't feel them at the moment. The only thought it had was to help the dying sparkle on it back; so without a hesitation the blue-eyed beast jumped right into the border.

The world turned white and stabilized in a canyon, surrounded by red cliffs. Sunshine filtered through the gorge mouth. The wolf took in its situation and kept running.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author Notes:**

***important stuff***

**So this is the actually story line. I wrote the preview in a different style, a looooong time ago. This takes place after that part though. Ask of you have any questions, ne?**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Legend of Zelda! Never will! If I did half the games wouldn't end like they did -_-**

* * *

Chapter One

_LINK STARED DOWN_ at the soft silver triangles on his paw. It was odd something so small caused so much to happen. His head was still throbbing and his headache had lessened but felt like it would never fade. It was a constant reminder - that wasn't necessary - that he was bound by his curse. It was like the other times he had been cursed; Zant had shown up, caused a few things to explode, then cursed Link and injured Midna. It was comparable to when he had stolen the Fused Shadows, but Link could feel the differences. His curse should have been lifted almost instantly when Midna gave him the Master Sword back, yet his symptoms had only worsened. Midna herself had gone relatively unscathed throughout the ambush though, so he tried not to worry anyone and suffered through it.

Currently Link was resting in the cave next to the Light Spring in Korkoro Village. It was well hidden from the villagers' fearful eyes and out of Hyrule Fields. Midna had refused to go any farther for the night a demanded that they find a place to rest. '_Ironic_,' Link thought bitterly, _'I was the one who was walking_.' He knew that it was mostly for his own sake rather than hers, of course. Link knew she preferred to travel after dark because it reminded her of home. As a wolf, it didn't bother him much ether but his sleep schedule was hectic if even existent. He had a bad habit of working till collapsing. If he was honest, Midna was really the only reason he was holding together at the moment.

His head still hurt too much for sleep to find him, though Midna laid passed out nearby. Chuckling, Link stood up and exited the cave from the front. Maybe the healing spring water could help. His mind was hazy from need of sleep or else he would have gone through the secret passage to the higher levels. Instead he went out the gaping entrance to the visible pond in front. When his paws touched the cool water, any thoughts of caution were forgotten. Link wadded deeper until he had reached the mini waterfall and could fully submerge. The sound of splashing drowned out approaching footsteps and night shadows shrouded a face at the gorge mouth.

Link, however, did hear someone coming from the village. He stopped moving and stood stalk still. _Please pass, please pass, please don't notice me . . . _Link prayed. He wasn't sure he would be able to retreat then return to the cave later. The light spring was washing away the ache in his bones, but his energy level was still running on fumes. He would collapse before he got back again. Of course, all the more reason for fate to screw with his life.

The person grew closer and closer still. Link's sharp eyes could pick out the teen boy's rather thin frame and reflective glasses from this distance. He wasn't sure whether the human could see him yet; the water glowed naturally in contrast with his black pelt and would give him away, but he was far back in the corner and might be hid by the shadows. By some miracle, the boy stopped and listened for something. The town's deeply instilled paranoia was enough to make boy double think and quickly disappear back to where he came from. Letting out a breath he didn't notice he was holding, Link hauled his sopping, tired body out of the deep water and towards the bank. He didn't get far.

The unnoticed guest hiding in the shadows decided to make his entrance. An archer bobokiln had a flaming arrow notched and aimed before Link understood the threat. The water made his already late dodge sluggish, and the arrow struck its mark; his skull. He yelped and faltered, tripping over his paws and falling. His vision was fuzzy and he made out the approaching monster before he lost consciousness. Turns out he would get some sleep after all.

* * *

_SHAD SAW THE WHOLE THING_. He had journeyed from City Town to Korkoro Village to see the Light Spring that it was settled by. He was doing research into the Guardian Light Spirits that were said to protect Hyrule in the ancient myths. Apparently, each of the four spirits had a spring they dwelled in within their respective providences. Shad couldn't sleep well, so he figured he could at least get an early start on his research. When he went out to the spring he was greeted by an amazing sight.

The Light Spring itself was beautiful, a soft light illuminating the water and boulders. But what demanded his attention was the creature that splashed quietly towards the back. It was black/dark grey, with noticeable silver/white streaks down its flanks and tail. It was large, a little over his waist, and canine in figure. As Shad came closer, he could pick out details more clearly. It was a wolf, though quite large, with bright, startling cerulean eyes and an intricate white pattern on its forehead – one that was definitely too detailed to be found in nature.

It noticed Shad suddenly, ceasing all movement and receding into the shadows. He couldn't let such an extraordinary find slip away – if the wolf bolted he would never get another chance like this. He pretended to be startled by something and retreated into the shadow of a nearby building. The wolf seemed to relax, swimming forward again. It seemed to be done after the close encounter though, and waded back to shore.

From Shad's point of view he couldn't see from where the attacker was hidden, but he caught a glimpse of it as it fired off an arrow. He covered his mouth so not to gasp in horror as the flaming projectile struck the wolf with a cry. It wobbled a bit then collapsed in a splash. Its attacker sloshed out to where it lay, looming over it. The monster prodded it head to make sure it was asleep, then, reassured, it grabbed the fallen beast's front paws and dragged it towards the village. Shad stumbled further into the shadows of the back alley and watched as the goblin dragged the animal into the village and through a passage across from him; into the graveyard.

The silence that hung over the village was dead, not even a cricket dared to chirp. Overwhelmed by the ominous air and fear, Shad took off for the hotel he was staying in. That night he laid awake in the bed, not daring to put out the bedside candle. When he drifted into a light doze he was awoke again by a nightmare. Finally hardening his resolve, Shad made up his mind that in the morning he would go to the graveyard and search for the wolf.

As he drifted towards an uneasy night's sleep, Shad thought only about the legend of the Guardian Spirits that dwelled in the sacred springs. He almost dared not to think of what the mysterious wolf might have been or its purposes.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Important:**

**This chapter is shorter than what I had originally planned for, and for that I apologize, but I wanted to get this update out. For those of you who don't check my profile, you probably haven't heard. Three weeks ago, I was involved with a ATV accident. Me and my two cousins are now fine, though I was left with lingering injuries. Long story short: My right arm and a vertebrae in my neck were broken. I'll make a full recovery, but while I'm healing my update schedules are going to be pretty rough. A lot of my time that I spent on writing needed to be reworked, so I have a lot less now. I am by no means going to stop writing though, have no fear. If you want the whole story, there should be some more details on my profile, though be warned, it's kind of rambling. I apologize for the inconvenience this may pose. I know some readers just want the story and don't care much for the author, but please try to cooperate with me here. Thank you.**

**A/N Ramblings:**

**Okay, that part out of the way! This chapter . . . did NOT want to get written D: So if it seems like it's a filler chapter and nothing really happens it's probably because it is. Sorrrryyyyyy lD I'm a horrible person, I know. Think of it as a chapter to better understand Link's character! Since Link doesn't have much of a set character in the games, it mostly based off of my own experience with the gameplay and basically how I reacted to stuff.**

**Enjoy the chapter guys! ~Rose**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess or make any claims saying I do.**

**"**Talking aloud"

_'Thinking to self'_

* * *

Chapter Two

_LINK'S TOES WERE NUMB_ and his head was throbbing lightly. He growled and nuzzled his snout further into his side. He was warm and comfortable; it was too hard to wake up. _Wait . . . _Link thought, eyes snapping open, _comfortable?_ He closed his eyes again against the harsh light of morning. Cautiously cracking one eye open, once it had adjusted, the wolf scanned the area.

Link was curled up on a plethora of pillows. The plush objects were stuffed none too sparingly, the cotton filling to the brim. The fabric was smooth – silk – ranging from royal reds to shades of gold. Contradicting to lavish, soft padding, Link and the pillows were locked inside a cage. The black iron bars were starting to show signs of rust and were rough to the touch. The roof was a metal slab, several inches above him, just enough to stand. The cell was fairly spacious; he could move comfortably and had room to walk – though the pillows covering the floor would make it hard.

Outside the cage he could make out the terrain. The land, though flat, was raised and stone steps lead down to the ground level. It was only a few steps though; one could easily jump down from the drop-off without any injury. Past the sudden end of the orange dirt and steps was a familiar graveyard. The tombstones were in poor conditions and crumbling. Link felt a pang in his heart at their neglect, but shoved past it and kept looking around. Behind his cage was a twisted dead tree. The wall to his right popped with the only green in the desert; strands of ivy hiding a hole in the wall.

Link quickly identified the place as the Kakariko Graveyard. His memory was still fuzzy, but he tried his best to remember how he wound up here. He was in the spring . . . and then . . . _then_. . . . The wolf huffed and dropped his muzzle to his paws. It was too blurred to remember past there, but he could recall the distinct feeling of pain. That was never good.

Link could sense that Midna wasn't stowing away in his shadow at the moment. That might have been a good thing though. Considering that he was _probably_ kidnapped and locked in a cage, it was reassuring to know Midna could bust him out; when she found him of course. . . . And if she felt like it, who knows with that woman? The Hero stared at the ragged entrance for a minute before it became obvious the Twi wasn't about to burst through.

Rolling lazily onto his back, paws dangling in the air, the wolf stared upside-down at the bulky lock. Thick chains wound themselves all over his prison, converging together at the huge padlock on the front wall; the lock easily the size of Link's head. '_What's the word I'm looking for . . .' _he wondered in the back of his mind, '_overkill, much? I mean I'm already in a cage. Were the chains really needed here?'_ Geez. With the protection in this place you would have thought that Link was some kind of super wolf with laser vision or something.

'_Hmm.'_ Link took the time to stare intently at the lock for a few minutes. Nope, still no beams shooting from his eyes, never mind.

A shrilling noise convinced Link to roll back onto his paws. Sitting properly on his rear again, he turned his gaze skyward only to realize the roof was solid metal. Silently grateful Midna wasn't there to mock him, he floundered his way through a sea of pillows to the edge of the cage. Peering up the best he could through the bars, he quickly located the source of the noise. Glaring back down at him from its perch in the tree was a Guay. The greasy ball of feathers was simply sitting and staring, nothing more. Link accepted what came across as an unspoken challenge (in his own mind) and locked their blue eyes together in deadly combat. The Guay apparently didn't like staring contests, as it flapped its wings loudly and crowed at the Hero. It lifted off the branch and dove at him instead. Link yelped and scrambled back a few meters before the bird rammed right into the bars of the cage.

Link ceased his movements and slowly laid back down, muzzle resting between his paws. He watched incredulously as the crow like monster flailed its way to its feet, scattering black feathers all over the dirt. It attempted this little stunt a few more times before giving up. It stood in front of Link's prison, disheveled and dumbstruck. Opening its beak and tilting its head, it attempted to bite the iron pole closest to it. Key word, attempted. The creature understood after a few more minutes of standing there looking stupid with its mouth wide open, that its mouth was, in fact, too large to even take hold of the bar. The beard like curve on the lower half of its beak caught on the bar next to it and effectively halted any attempt at biting. It snapped its maw shut and hopped a couple feet back. It narrowed its eyes at the bars and shuffled it feet, _discreetly_ inching forward. Link was sure that the bird thought so, at least. The Guay cautiously reached out with one foot, curling its toes. With a single a talon, it gingerly poked the iron. Not a second later it flew back, wings fluttering and crowing.

Link blinked sluggishly and smacked a paw over his muzzle, covering his eyes. He really wasn't sure if he was supposed to laugh or be disturbed by this show of idiocy. Cracking open an eye, he spotted the Guay gaining confidence, now scratching at the poles. He groaned and the monster shrieked, startled. '_Way to forget that I was here, idiot.'_ The monster's accusing blue eyes turned to burn holes in his pelt; twitching an ear was the only response Link could be bothered for.

The black nuisance seemed positively peeved by this, puffing out its chest feathers in aggravation. It huffed indigently, scraping at the dead earth with its talons. Link simply raised a brow at it. The monster's beak rose a few more inches at that, shuffling its wings in a warning of sorts. The Hero huffed, laughing, and his tail flicked in amusement. The Guay met its rope's end here and – screaming as loud as possible for good measure – it took to its wings and swept over the cage. The blue-eyed beast sat up, twisting around to see it glide away.

Link sighed as the creature left. He heaved his body upward and faltered over some more gold and red pillows to the center of the cage, back where he had started. He flopped over onto his side, staring at the rock face the crow monster had disappeared behind. His eyes flicked across the barren walls once more. The cursed wolf fought off a whine and rolled onto his back, squirming to get comfortable. He wasn't stupid; he knew he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. As he stared up at the plated ceiling, he wondered what his friends were doing; where are they;  
are they alright? If they saw him now, he mused, what would they think?

* * *

**See? I can totally stick a little serious moment in there and the whole chapter will seem relevant! This is actually based off my own gameplay, I was riding along on my horse and I saw this Guay that glitched and kept running into the wall! It was hilarious, I must have messed around with that thing for a good ten minutes before I shot it XD Fun times, anywho, sorry for the filler chapter, hope you guys don't riot, I just wanted to update so you knew my situation. ~Rose**


End file.
